Wherever there exists a network of one or more nodes, the primary issue is that of communication between the nodes. In a large network of the type having a master node and a plurality of slave nodes, it is often difficult for the master node to relay a message to every slave nodes because of location or signal attenuation due to noise or poor network conditions. For example, reliable communication is vital in control networking environment using pre-existing power lines. A major problem with power line communications is the hostile medium itself. Transmission of signals through this medium results typically in reception of severely attenuated signals (e.g. 100 decibels). The master node must resort to using other nodes to route messages to the rest of the slave nodes that could be located in far remote areas or in areas of high signal attenuation. Optimal signal path routing is essential to achieve reliable and fast communication.
There are many examples of network systems in the prior art. However, many prior systems have limitations resulting from the method of router node selection. This often depends on either prior knowledge of the network, i.e. the nodes have already been configured to the network and the master node has a pre-recorded list of devices, or the selection is random if the master node does not have previous knowledge of the network. Random selection of the routers takes more time and there is no test to ensure the robustness of the router, especially during periods of high signal attenuation. As a result, a routing path that may be valid during node configuration may not be valid all the time. It may be necessary to look for alternate routing paths when network conditions are poor.